Page 55 of The Scarlet Lady's Duke of Desire
As though it was all he needed, the duke stepped away from Melody and dipped into a low bow. “Forgive me, Mrs Thornton, Miss Thornton, I believe I must go and find my cousin.”
“I think that would be wise, your grace,” Melody’s mother announced without so much as taking her eyes off Melody. The fury in her eyes made Melody wish she could slip her fingers through the duke’s and run away with him.
Instead, she dipped into a curtsey and silently waited for him to leave, holding her breath with the knowledge that she was going to have to explain herself somehow to her mother.
Her only relief was that it had been her mother to stumble upon them and not someone else, someone like Lady Florence who might use such a thing against her.
It was only when the duke had slipped back into the ballroom that Melody dared to raise her head again. Though when she did, she wished she hadn’t. Her mother was still glowering at her and now her arms were crossed over her chest. There was such fury in her eyes that Melody thought she had never seen her quite so angry before.
“Mama, I can explain.”
“Not here,” her mother said in a clipped, harsh tone. “Not now. It is not safe. We shall talk of this in the morning.”
Melody wasn’t at all sure whether she should feel relieved at her mother’s words or be filled with anxiety. Having until the morning to get her story straight was a good thing, but on the other hand, she had all night to worry over what her mother might do in the meantime, and over what conclusions her mother might come to on her own.
“Mama, please, I…” Melody began even as her mother started back towards the ballroom.
She was startled when her mother turned on her. She whipped around so fast with such a furious expression that Melody thought her a wild animal.
“Not here,” she repeated, hissing the words. “It is not safe!”
Melody’s stomach twisted at her mother’s words. It was all too clear what her mother was afraid of. Their family had suffered enough. They had been surrounded by scandal for so long. Melody had always been a good girl, always trying to stay on the right side of society and theton, and yet here she was face to face with her mother and the possibility that she might have ruined everything.
Chapter 29
James was awakened to the sound of the townhouse door clicked closed for what felt like the hundredth time. Having been so wound up from the events of the evening before, he had fallen asleep in the armchair beside the library fireplace and his servants had yet to disturb him. But in the drunken stupor he had induced, he had heard the door knocker several times and several times the door had opened and closed.
With a sore head, he lifted his chin from where it had been resting upon his chest and glanced towards clock that decorated the mantelpiece.
It was well past breakfast time and with a groan he decided that it was likely time to rouse himself. He had hidden from the world for long enough. Yet when he closed his eyes, he could still see the accusing expression of Mrs Thornton and the horrified face of Miss Thornton as she realised the weight of what they had been caught doing in the gardens.
Pushing himself onto the edge of his seat, preparing with his hands on the arms to push himself onto his feet, he was surprised when someone finally knocked upon the door.
For a second he thought to ignore it, not quite ready to face anyone. Then, he sucked in a breath and called, “Enter!”
He had half expected the butler but when he looked around the edge of his chair, he found that it was Dennis. The manservant stepped into the room with a silver tray laden not with food or even tea but with a pile of envelopes.
James groaned even more deeply. He had been right. He hadn’t been ready to face the world just yet.
“Forgive me, your grace, but you have been receiving invitations all morning,” Dennis explained as he crossed the room and held the tray out to James.
“Is this all there is?” James said sarcastically, scoffing at the sheer amount of mail before him. There was so much that he suspected he would not be able to pick it all up. When Dennis nodded, he added, “Put it on the table and go.”
But Dennis did not leave immediately upon putting the tray on the side table next to James. Instead, he hesitated, standing before him with his head bowed.
“Was there something else, Dennis?” James asked, wishing again that he had decided to ignore the knocking upon the door. Whatever had caused the man to hesitate, James wasn’t ready for it.
“You have a visitor, your grace,” Dennis announced, and James’ heart skipped a beat. “He is in the drawing room.”
With a sigh, James popped open a couple of the invitations he had received. Seeing that not one of them was signed by Miss Thornton, he discarded them back onto the tray and asked, “Who is it?”
The way Dennis’ face twisted suggested that James was not going to like the answer. “It…it is Mr Colton, your grace.”
“Pardon me?” James asked, unsure as to whether he had heard his man right. When he met Dennis’ gaze, he could tell that he had. Without needing confirmation, he sighed and said, “I shall be through momentarily.”
Dennis nodded, bowed, and removed himself from the room once more.
Hurrying to his feet, James stepped closer to the fireplace and looked at himself in the mirror hanging above. Running his fingers through his dark hair, he straightened his brows and wiped the dried spittle from the corner of his lips before he grabbed a bottle of whisky from the drinks cabinet.
